The Virtual Private Network (VPN)

The Virtual Private Network enables a secure connection between a remote device or network and Birkbeck. In addition, it places the device on the Birkbeck network, allowing access to electronic resources as if at Birkbeck

The benefits in doing this are:

• to allow staff to connect to their desktop PC as if at their desk using Remote Desktop Connection
• to allow remote clients to participate within the existing Windows domains, giving users access to shared network resources on the network (e.g. N: drive).
• accessing externally hosted electronic resources, which validate against IP address.

Documentation is available for the following clients:

• Windows XP (Home and Professional)
• Windows 7
• Mac OSX
• Mac OS X 10.5
• older operating systems such as Windows 2000 and Microsoft Vista.

For other operating systems, to connect to the VPN server the client computer must be setup in the following way:

1. The client computer must be configured for VPN and have the PPTP protocol installed.
2. The client computer must be connected to the Internet via a dedicated or dial-up connection. This connection must already be established.
3. The client computer, once connected to the Internet, makes another connection - through a virtual tunnel to the VPN server using PPTP.

At this point the remote computer is authenticated and securely connected to the college network and can function as if directly connected locally to it.

A word (and warning) about the Virtual Private Network (VPN)

The Virtual Private Network enables a secure connection between a remote device or network and Birkbeck. In addition, it places the device on the Birkbeck network, allowing access to electronic resources as if at Birkbeck. However, this also means that all internet traffic from that device is travelling via Birkbeck too. In cases of misuse of the network, and the most common complaint we receive relates to copyright infringement, any complaint will be received by Birkbeck directly and acted upon immediately with the removal of the device or connection to the network. Staff should only connect to the VPN when they need it, and should not connect while undertaking personal internet surfing etc. Restrictions on network traffic allowed through the VPN are likely to be implemented during the early summer 2012 in order to limit Birkbeck’s exposure to complaints.